She hasn’t commented on the Charles Carl Roberts slayings yet, but Laura Mallory — tragically just a few days too late for Banned Books Week — does think that Harry Potter is responsible for several recent school shootings:
“A woman who maintains that the Harry Potter books are an attempt to teach children witchcraft is pushing for the second time to have them banned from school libraries.
Laura Mallory, a mother of four from the Atlanta suburb of Loganville, told a Georgia Board of Education officer that the books by British author J.K. Rowling, sought to indoctrinate children as Wiccans, or practitioners of religious witchcraft.
Referring to the recent rash of deadly assaults at schools, Mallory said books that promote evil – as she claims the Potter ones do – help foster the kind of culture where school shootings happen.
That would not happen if students instead read the Bible, Mallory said.
She added that the books were harmful to children who are unable to differentiate between reality and fantasy.”
Ms. Mallory, on the other hand, has a crystal-clear grasp on reality.
Picture blatantly stolen from YesButNoButYes.
Comments (7)
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Because the Bible is free of violence.
posted by punkinsmom on 10-6-2006 at 3:31 pm
Wiccan does not equal Witch.
Laura Mallory DOES equal Bitch!
And a stupid one at that.
posted by Sheldon Siegel on 10-6-2006 at 3:37 pm
By the way, a free YesButNoButYes T shirt to anyone who spots the connection between the LAPD serial number I used in the photo, and the story :)
See? I’m tricky that way.
posted by Scaramouch on 10-6-2006 at 3:44 pm
The number is the same as Hugh Grant’s arrest number.
The only connection I can see is that Hugh, the Potter series, and J.K. Rowling are all British.
posted by Ann S. on 10-6-2006 at 5:13 pm
Can we have this woman as Idiot of the Day?
Seriously, don’t these people have better things to do with their time?
posted by Kate on 10-6-2006 at 8:47 pm
Wow, for a second I thought I was reading this in the Boing Boing folder of my RSS reader instead of the mental_floss one. I always love your posts, Mary. This one is a hoot! It could even double as Idiot of the Day.
posted by Billifer on 10-7-2006 at 8:11 am
Ann
You were close enough, spotting the serial number was Hugh Grant’s. Hugh was offered a role in the HP films as Gilderoy Lockhart, but turned it down. Let us know if you want one of our very bad T shirts.
posted by Scaramouch on 10-9-2006 at 1:05 pm